Field
The present disclosure relates to a system and method for determining an amount of UV exposure for a particular user based on a detection of the UV exposure at a location of the user and specific information regarding the particular user.
Description of Related Art
Excessive ultraviolet (UV) radiation has acute and chronic effects on the skin, eye and immune system. Personalized monitoring of UV radiation is thus paramount to measure the extent of personal sun exposure, which could vary with environment, lifestyle, and sunscreen use.
UV radiation is essential for production of vitamin D and beneficial for human health, but over-exposure to UV has many associated risk factors, including skin cancer and photo-aging, even long after UV exposure ends. The acute effects of excessive UVA and UVB exposure are usually short-lived and reversible. Such effects include erythema, pigment darkening and sunburn. Prolonged exposures even to sub-erythemal UV doses result in epidermal thickening and degradation of keratinocytes, elastin, collagen and blood vessels, thus leading to premature skin aging. Clinical symptoms usually include increased wrinkling and loss of elasticity. Studies have also shown that both UVA and UVB radiation have local and systemic immunosuppressive properties, which is believed to be an important contributor to skin cancer development. UV-induced DNA damage is an important factor in developing all types of skin cancer including melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancers, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Both UVA and UVB are strongly scattered by air, aerosols, and clouds. For high sun angles, when most of the UV arrives, cloud effects are similar at UVA and UVB wavelengths; however, for low sun conditions, the UVB attenuation tends to be stronger. Unlike UVB, UVA penetrates glass windows and therefore may result in excessive UV exposures even in an indoor environment. In addition, UVA readily passes through the ozone layer resulting in higher intensities of the UVA portion of the solar spectrum at the earth surface. Continuous sunscreen protection and monitoring of personal UV exposures is therefore critical for better skin protection and prevention of skin cancer.
However, conventional wearable devices are rigid, bulky, and not compatible with sunscreens.